Lord Justice Leveson is reported to be unamused by a Daily Mail story that he is involved in a dispute over an underground swimming pool. Photograph: Frank Baron for the Guardian

It is a story that seemingly has everything: a disgrace banker, a TV presenter, the judge of a landmark inquiry into press misbehaviour – and plans to build a swimming pool in a well-to-do neighbourhood. So it is no surprise that the Daily Mail went big on the news that Lord Justice Leveson is among the residents – led by Sir Victor Blank and including Richard Madeley – opposing plans to build an underground swimming pool in a leafy suburb of north London. Except the story may be too good to be true. It didn't take Leveson's judicial spokesman long to issue a stern denial: "The judge is not a party to, or connected to, the legal action. He has no comment to make on the legal action or the circumstances". Ouch. The Times reports that the judge was similarly unimpressed with his local paper – the Ham & High – after it printed a reference to the area where Leveson lives. The paper deleted the reference after he complained of a security risk. All, it seems, is not going swimmingly for the post-inquiry judge.